Fresno County covers 40 towns, from the flat valley floor around Fresno, Clovis, Selma and Kerman to communities like Auberry and Squaw Valley on the way east toward the Sierra Nevada. The houses vary just as much. A Craftsman bungalow in the Tower District, a ranch home in Old Fig Garden and a newer two-story tract house each ask something different of a stair lift.
This page walks through how the county's homes and terrain shape which lift makes sense, and which local and statewide programs can help pay for one. If you are sorting this out for a parent, or for yourself, start with the stairs you climb every day and work from there.
Neighborhoods such as Lowell and the Tower District hold some of Fresno's oldest houses: early-1900s square vernacular cottages, Folk-Victorian homes, Craftsman/California Bungalow homes and American Foursquare homes. Many of the two-story bungalows and Foursquares have a single straight run of stairs, which is usually the simplest and least costly lift to fit.
Restored early-20th-century homes sometimes have a landing, a turn or narrow treads. Those stairs often need a curved lift built to the exact shape of the staircase. We measure every step and the width of the stairway before recommending anything, because older framing and trim can change what fits.
The 1920s-1940s Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow courts and the mid-century Minimal Traditional homes tend to have fewer interior stairs. Where they do have steps, it is often at the entry, which is where an outdoor lift or a platform lift can come into the conversation.
The city of Fresno sits on the valley floor at 308 feet, and most homes there are one or two stories. On flat lots like these, the stairs inside a two-story house are the usual problem, and a straight lift on that main staircase solves most of it.
The county rises to the east into the Sierra Nevada foothills and high peaks. Up there, multi-level hillside houses with interior stairs are more common, and a home can have more than one set of steps between the garage, the main floor and the bedrooms. Those layouts may call for a curved lift, two separate lifts, or an outdoor lift for steps leading up to the door.
Across the county you will also find multi-level ranch homes, newer two-story tract homes, split-level homes and townhouses. Tract-home staircases are often straight and built to standard dimensions, which keeps installation simple. Split-level homes have short runs between levels, and each run may need its own lift.
Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings bring a different question: who owns the stairs. If the stairway is shared or the home is rented, the property owner has to approve the work before anything is installed.
About 12.1% of the county's 896,915 residents are 65 or older, and 53.7% of households own their homes. For homeowners, a stair lift is often the step that lets a parent keep using the bedroom upstairs instead of moving.
That matters because VA grants can pay for home adaptations, including stair lifts, for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities.
Fresno's median household income was $66,804 in 2023, and about 20.9% of residents live below the poverty line. That makes the public and nonprofit programs below worth checking before paying out of pocket.
Medi-Cal has two routes that cover home modifications such as stair lifts when medically necessary: the HCBA Waiver and the CalAIM Environmental Accessibility Adaptations Community Support, which caps home modifications at a $7,500 lifetime maximum per member. Veterans can look at the VA SAH and SHA grants, and the Fresno County Veterans Service Office at (559) 600-5436 can help with VA paperwork.
For guidance, the Fresno-Madera Area Agency on Aging (PSA 14) at 3845 North Clark, Suite 103, Fresno, (559) 453-6494, connects older adults with home-safety resources. Other statewide programs to ask about include the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan and VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics).
A statewide Medi-Cal waiver for people who need a nursing facility level of care, with home modifications including stair lifts covered when medically necessary and approved case by case. Call (800) 541-5555 to start.
A Medi-Cal managed-care benefit that covers home modifications such as stair lifts when medically necessary, up to a $7,500 lifetime maximum per member. Not every plan offers it, so check with your Fresno County Medi-Cal plan.
Provides information, assistance and care management for adults 60 and older in Fresno and Madera counties, including referrals to home-safety and modification resources; its source does not list stair lift funding. Call (559) 214-0299.
Offers assistive technology, housing resources and referrals for people with disabilities in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties; stair lifts are not listed. Call (559) 221-2330.
A county rehabilitation loan for owner-occupants in unincorporated Fresno County and participating areas with income no more than 80% of the county median; whether it covers stair lifts is unknown. Call (559) 651-1000.
A nonprofit rehabilitation program for income-eligible, owner-occupied homes inside the City of Fresno that need essential health or safety improvements; stair lifts are not listed. Call (559) 651-1000.
Home repair for income-eligible owner-occupants in the Greater Fresno service area; stair lifts are not listed, so ask about current details. Call (559) 237-4102.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, and it covers stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, and it covers stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
3845 North Clark, Suite 103, Fresno, 93726
Veterans
1320 E Shaw Ave, Suite 105, Fresno, 93710
It can. The HCBA Waiver and the CalAIM Environmental Accessibility Adaptations Community Support both cover home modifications such as stair lifts when medically necessary. The CalAIM benefit has a $7,500 lifetime maximum and depends on your plan, so check with your Fresno County Medi-Cal plan. For the HCBA Waiver, call (800) 541-5555.
The Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and older, but Resources for Independence Central Valley works with people with disabilities regardless of age. They offer assistive technology and housing resources at (559) 221-2330.
The Fresno County Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program serves owner-occupants in unincorporated Fresno County and participating areas with income no more than 80% of the county median. It is not known whether it covers stair lifts, so ask when you call (559) 651-1000.
The Fresno County Veterans Service Office at 1320 E Shaw Ave, Suite 105, Fresno, (559) 600-5436, can help with VA claims. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities may get the SAH grant of up to $126,526 or the SHA grant of up to $25,350, and both cover stair lifts.
Usually, yes. Stairs with a landing or a turn take a curved lift built to fit that staircase. We measure the full run and the width of the stairway first to confirm it will fit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
